There are many things that we might think about doing which could help us to be healthier. Things such as reducing our stress, sleeping more, exercising more or eating better. It is easy to think that these will cost so much money that we will need to take out a loan to do it all. However, there are many ways that we can achieve all of these things without having to spend more money and in fact we may even be able to save money.

Stress

We might be forgiven for thinking that the only way that we will be able to reduce stress is to give up our job and do a lower paid one. Of course, not all stress is due to the work that we do but many people do find their jobs extremely stressful. This means that we might think that we have to stop the work to stop the stress. It is worth thinking about how we deal with the stress though. Sometimes we have habits that actually make it harder for us to cope and if we make some changes then we may be able to reduce that stress and keep the job. Firstly, do not try to cope with the stress by drinking alcohol, using caffeine eating chocolate or smoking. These are all stimulants and are likely to make us feel more edgy rather than calmer. It is better to use a relaxation technique such as meditation, yoga, reading a good book, having a long bath or going for a walk. These do not have to cost any money but if you make time to do them, you will find that your life is very much calmer.

Sleep

These days many people do not get enough sleep. They feel that they are too busy and cannot spare the time and this has a detrimental effect on their health. It is worth making sure that you are getting a minimum of seven hours sleep and you should not be prioritising your hobbies over sleeping. It can be so easy to stay up late either because we are out somewhere, watching television or on social media. It can also be hard to sleep these days because we are too overstimulated by the blue light from our devises or because we are not properly relaxing before bed. Try getting into a good routine with sleep getting up and going to bed at the same time each day. Try going up to bed nice and early and take a book to read or have a bath before settling into bed. Make sure you have exercised in the day so you are tired but not too close to bed time as this will be too stimulating.

Exercise

Many people associate exercise with a gym membership, exercise classes or a personal trainer but you can easily exercise for free. A walk is exercise and if you can fit one in every day then you will off to a great start. You do not need any special equipment just a good pair of shoes. If you can walk fast enough to get out of breath then you will be doing even better. You may also like to do some other forms of exercise and many of these are also free that you can do at home or outside. Things like running, yoga, resistance training are all free to do. You can even find free videos online that will help you to get started.

Food

What we eat can have a big impact on our health and it can be tempting to think that we will need to buy a lot of expensive health foods to achieve that but we do not. There are lots of nutrients in cheap foods such as basic fruits and vegetables, so by increasing the amount of these you eat you will be helping your health. Of course, that will cost more money but if you stop buying something of the unhealthy items you consume then you can use the money form that. Cutting out sweets and chocolate, biscuits and cake, take away food and drink, fizzy drinks and any other junk food will free up money that you can spend on healthier foods instead. Of course, it is not easy to do this, but it is possible so if you are motivated you can achieve it. Cooking from scratch, taking home made food for lunch at work, taking your own coffee to work, carrying a bottle of water, cutting out between meal snacks and eating out less will all cost less money as well and will help you to have a healthier diet. It can be easier to do things in steps, so you could start with replacing a daily chocolate bar midmorning with a serving of carrots with your evening meal just once a week. Then replace your packet of crisps from the afternoon with some peas with your evening meal. Swap a latte or cappuccino for an americano or espresso which is slightly cheaper and far lower in calories. Replace a pudding with some fruit and make a healthy sandwich for your lunch instead of buying an unhealthy one. There are lots of small things that you can try which will save money and help you to be healthier.

Many of us have life insurance. This can be alongside a mortgage to pay it off should we pass away before it is paid or it could be a separate insurance which will pay out if we get a terminal illness or die. Many people will take out insurance for the sake of their family, either so they are left without debt or so that they are taken care of financially. If you have loans or are the main bread winner, then it is understandable that you will want to do this and ensure that they get the financially stability that they need. However, it can be confusing choosing life insurance. There are so many different ones that you can choose from and they vary in what they offer and their prices.

Where to look for life insurance

It is good to be aware of where you can find life insurance and this should help you in being able to find a deal that will suit you. There are many providers and this is why it is so difficult to choose who to go with. There are different methods that you can choose which have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Comparison website – a comparison website is a popular choice. Many people like the fact that it is a fast and convenient way to see what the price range of insurance might be like. It is easier than getting quotes form the places all separately as well as you enter your details once and get information from a selection of providers. There are disadvantages though as not every provider is on these sites. They will vary in the providers that they give you quotes for but even if you look at all of the comparison websites you will not see all providers as some are just not on there. Comparison websites take commission on any leads generated as a result of their recommendations and this means that some companies will not use them as it means they will have to charge more as a result of this. Comparison companies may also not include those insurers that pay no or very little commission as they will not gain so much or anything at all as a result of recommending them.

Insurance broker – you may therefore prefer to go to an insurance broker. However, they are pretty similar in that they take commission on leads and could be biased in their recommendations. They may look at more insurers though, but this will depend on the specific broker that you go with. It may be better to go through them if you have specific insurance needs, perhaps if you have an illness or a medical condition which makes it harder to find insurance or makes insurance more expensive.

Financial advisor – a financial advisor will not charge commission and so they could be a better option for this reason. If they are independent then they should compare a lot of different insurers as well, which means that they are more likely to find the most suitable option for you. The only problem is that they do charge an hourly rate so you will have to find the money for this. If you are taking out insurance to go with a mortgage, then you might be using them to help you find a good mortgage anyway and therefore they might be able to recommend the insurance along with it and not charge that much more.

Individual websites – another option is to do all of the searching yourself. You could go to the websites of individual providers and then get a quote form each of them and then compare them. The problem with this is that there are a lot of providers and it will take a long time to compare all of them. However, if you have a specific few providers that you have heard of and would like to compare then this can be a good method.

Is the cheapest the best?

It is also worth thinking about whether it is a wise decision to go for the cheapest lender anyway. Although it does seem wise to not pay more than necessary you need to make sure that if you are using a cheap lender, that you are getting good value for money. Make sure you know what is included in the policy and that it has everything that you need. It can be good to establish what you are looking for first and then you will be able to match this up with the most suitable policy. Using a financial advisor or broker could make this easier as they will know which policy will suit you the best. It is equally important though to make sure that the policy does not include things that you are not interested in as you will be paying more than necessary for it.